


Flirting and Favorites

by Bee_Charmer



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bartender Lexa (The 100), Celebrity Crush, Craft Beer Gay, F/F, Flirting Turned First Date, Fluff and Humor, Singer Clarke Griffin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25493812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bee_Charmer/pseuds/Bee_Charmer
Summary: The last person Lexa expected to see walking into the brewery on a slow night was Clarke Griffin.TheClarke Griffin who sold out Polis' largest music venue in less than five minutes when her show was announced.What Lexa expected even less was to have one of the best nights of her life.
Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa
Comments: 71
Kudos: 524





	Flirting and Favorites

Why customers walk into an almost empty bar and sit at the one seat that’s clearly dirty—empty glass, remnants of a thoroughly enjoyed dinner, crumpled napkins scattered around—Lexa would never know. It was a long-running joke, yes, but it was almost more annoying to watch happen when the dinner rush had just ended and she and Raven had cleaned almost every spot at the bar and every table in the small taproom. 

All save the one spot at the bar the new guy decided would be his. 

Of course.

Lexa was in just enough of a good mood to shut away all feelings of annoyance and greeted the guy as if he hadn’t chosen the worst possible seat at the bar. 

“Welcome in to Trikru Brewing! Here’s an updated beer list and if you’re hungry, you can find the food menu on the other side.” Lexa forced a smile as she dropped a coaster in front of the man along with his menu. 

She hoped he wouldn’t ask questions. 

She also really hoped Raven would stop flirting with Anya in the kitchen and come back behind the bar. 

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on Lexa’s side and in the post-dinner lull, Raven seemed more than happy to camp out in the kitchen with her girlfriend. At least the man didn’t seem particularly chatty and managed to order a beer without Lexa having to explain that yes, the beers on the menu were, in fact, brewed on location using the very visible equipment on the other side of taproom. 

Right as Lexa was about to drag Raven out of the kitchen herself, Raven reappeared, looking far too satisfied. 

Raven opened her mouth to say something but Lexa learned long ago not to give her the opportunity to say anything right after Raven had spent time with Anya in a private space and had that particular expression after. 

“No.” Lexa cut her off. “Whatever it is, I don’t want to know.”

In mock offense, Raven said, “I see how it is. I was just going to tell you Anya is working on a new special sandwich for next week and she’s going to use us as her test subjects here in a little bit.”

“Sure you were.” 

Raven grinned. “What she said she wanted to test on me tonight when we get home is a different story.” 

Scowling, Lexa said, “I hate working with both of you. What if a customer overheard you?”

“Good thing they’re all sitting at the other end of the bar then.” 

“Well if you’re going to be like this for the rest of the night, I’m going to need a drink.” Lexa said, her scowl still firmly in place. 

Without hesitation, Raven grabbed two small glasses. “You want your usual disgusting IPA?” 

Lexa laughed. “Don’t let Indra hear you calling her beers disgusting, especially not the one we’ve won the most awards for.” 

“It’s not my fault you apparently think hops that taste like pine trees are a good addition to what could be a perfectly good IPA otherwise. And let me remind you that it’s the stout that’s won the highest award.” Raven said as she pulled the handle for the stout in question. 

Two seconds into the pour, the keg kicked, foam and dark beer sputtering from the tap and barely staying contained by the edges of the glass. 

Raven held her up her hand. “Lexa, don’t say a word.” 

Lexa nudged Raven toward the cooler. “Go swap the keg, I can pour my own beer.” 

On weekday nights when the crowd thinned considerably after the dinner rush, one of the best things about working in the brewery was the ability to start on the end of shift drinks way before the end of shift. They never drank much, but having a glass of beer barely larger than a shot glass to sip out of every now and then made the nights go faster.

The next customer to walk through the door caused a shift in the air, a calling for Lexa’s attention, and when Lexa gave in and looked over, she nearly dropped her glass. 

_Holy shit._

Rationally, Lexa knew she needed to do something, anything, to greet this woman who looked torn between fully entering the bar with confidence or hiding in the farthest corner where no one would bother her. Lexa needed to do something other than blatantly staring. But rationality went out the window when a woman who looked exactly like Clarke Griffin walked in. 

No, not just looked like Clarke Griffin, was Clarke Griffin. 

The musician Lexa would easily list in her top five favorites. 

Raven’s voice snapped Lexa back to attention. “I just swapped the keg for the stout so we’ll be good to go with it again here in a minute.” 

“Right.” One word was all Lexa could manage. 

“You good?” Raven asked with her brow raised.

Lexa downed her beer in one go. “Always.”

Raven finally saw Clarke who had apparently decided to walk toward their end of the bar. “Okay, yeah, she is hot. I’m going to be nice and let you greet her while I pull the fresh stout through the line.” 

Lexa barely got herself together enough to have a menu in hand as Clarke sat down at the first seat at the bar. 

“Hey, welcome in.” Lexa smiled, trying not to stumble over her words. 

She managed well enough and the smile she received in return gave her the incentive to keep talking. 

“I’m guessing you’ve never been in before?” Lexa asked. 

A brief look of panic crossed through the blue eyes looking back at Lexa. 

Clarke’s smile faltered slightly. “What makes you ask?” 

Lexa paused, considering everything Clarke had done since she walked in. She chose Trikru Brewing, for one. It was a nice brewpub, but maybe not quite the place you would expect to find a singer who had easily sold out Polis’ largest venue in a matter of minutes. 

Which meant maybe she didn’t want to be found. 

“‘Cause she’d remember you if you’d been here before.” Raven said with a wink over the edge of her beer glass as she walked by. 

Lexa has always been told she came across as downright terrifying when she gave people a certain look. The kind of look that on more than one occasion stopped a bar fight before someone even stood up. The kind of look that was perfectly suited for her sparring matches at the gym. 

The kind of look that never, not once, made Raven do anything but laugh. 

If it weren’t for the shift in Clarke’s expression from slightly panicked to mildly amused as Raven’s laughter was still audible from the other end of the bar, Lexa might have been more angry than she actually was. 

“So, um, no. I haven’t been here before.” Clarke said. 

“Well I… I’ll give you a minute to look everything over but let me know if you have any questions.” 

Lexa really, really hoped she had questions. 

Clarke spoke before Lexa could begin to move away. “I do, actually.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Will you judge me if I say I don’t know a single thing about beer?” 

Lexa laughed. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Although it might make me wonder why you decided to come to a brewery with no liquor and a wine list that’s hardly impressive.” 

“To be honest, I’m starving and this was the closest place to my hotel that I was told serves great food. And as an added bonus for me, it’s not very busy.” 

“Well maybe I can find you a beer that you won’t absolutely hate while you work on deciding what you want to eat. What’s your usual drink?” 

Lexa leaned forward onto the bar out of sheer habit, completely forgetting for a moment exactly who she was leaning toward. 

Then Clarke looked at her and suddenly Lexa remembered. More embarrassingly, she suddenly felt a blush creeping up her neck, her body determined to betray her attempts to not make a big deal over the fact that she was currently talking to Clarke fucking Griffin. 

Clarke smiled and Lexa noticed how the tense set of Clarke’s shoulders had softened since she first walked through the door. 

She said, “It depends on how shitty my night has been but lately, on all days, I’ve enjoyed the taste of a good gin and soda.” 

“I can work with that.” 

Lexa very deliberately avoided looking down the bar at Raven as she began pouring a sample for Clarke. And then very deliberately did not look again on her way back to Clarke’s seat. 

Placing the glass in front of Clarke, Lexa said, “Try this. It’s our flagship IPA and my personal favorite of the IPAs on tap. The hop blend adds quite a bit of pine and resin flavors so it might be something you’re interested in.” 

Clarke’s brow quirked. “Your favorite, huh? Sure you’re not just biased?”

Lexa matched her expression. “Try it and tell me if I’m wrong.” 

Something flashed in Clarke’s eyes at the slight challenge and Lexa felt her mouth go dry. 

“Damn it.” Clarke said as she sat the empty glass back on the bar. 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. I like that a lot.” 

“Guess that means I’m not biased.” 

Clarke shrugged. “Or it was a lucky guess.” 

Lexa could feel Raven’s stare and knew every second she talked to Clarke was only going to make every remaining minute of her shift a nightmare full of Raven’s teasing. 

“I know you’re starving so I can let you look over the food while enjoying the beer I definitely knew you would like.” Lexa said with a grin, realizing as soon as the words were out of her mouth that she had somehow very easily gone from having a mild gay panic about Clarke Griffin sitting at her bar to flirting with Clarke Griffin. 

Clarke.

Fucking.

Griffin.

From Clarke’s smile, she really did not seem to mind. 

Lexa was not entirely sure how to process that information. 

“And if I say I eat anything and want to know what food you _definitely_ think I will like, could you do it?” 

“I could try.” 

“Then surprise me. Anything goes.” 

“Gorilla meat burger?”

Clarke laughed, the sound filling the bar and Lexa was completely unable to ignore the musical note to Clarke’s voice. 

The voice Lexa had fallen in love with the moment she heard Clarke’s first song. 

“Okay, I admit to looking over the menu as I was walking over here and I know you don’t have anything that weird.”

Her face neutral, Lexa said. “There was the one time we had a llama burger.” 

Clarke’s eyes narrowed. “No.”

“Yes.” Lexa’s mouth twitched into a grin. They really did have a llama burger as a special one time.

“Is that my dinner for tonight, then?” 

“No, I think I’ll go with something a bit more standard. With the staff-approved tweaks, of course.”

“Of course.” Clarke smiled again and Lexa found herself staring. 

“I can give you a card to start a tab.” Clarke said, reaching for her bag and snapping Lexa’s attention away from thinking about just how blue Clarke’s eyes really were. 

Lexa shook her head. “Promise not to run out and I’ll just start you one without a card.” 

“I’m too hungry to try to find somewhere else to go. Besides, I have this nice beer I happen to like to finish.” The lightness in Clarke’s eyes that had been building as she and Lexa bantered faded suddenly. “Um, do you need a name?” 

A heartbeat passed. Then two. 

Lexa could say she knew exactly who Clarke was. She could, but she had a very distinct feeling that was the last thing Clarke wanted her to do. 

“I can just call you seat number thirteen.” 

A ghost of a smile tugged at Clarke’s lips and Lexa knew two things: one, she had made the right call and two, she was so fucking screwed. 

__________

“Here. Since you took so long talking to Blondie over there, I got you a new beer. I’ve also been taking care of all of our other customers so you’re welcome.”

“There are five people in here, Raven.” 

“Yeah, and I had to take care of four of them instead of talking to my girlfriend because you were too busy drooling over a girl you wish was your girlfriend.” 

If it were anyone else beside her, Lexa would have glared. 

Raven took a sip of her own beer before asking, “Who is she, by the way? Is she a regular I’m somehow unaware of? If she’s one of your regulars, then damn, Lexa, I need to pick up some of your shifts.”

“Can’t you go help Anya make food or something?” 

Raven didn’t budge. “Nope. Didn’t you hear, I’ve already taken care of things for the moment because you were too busy flirting. So tell me, who is she?”

Lexa busied herself with straightening a stack of coasters. “She’s not a regular, but I’m not surprised if she seems familiar. I’m pretty sure you know who she is.” 

“Wait, what?” 

Sighing, Lexa kept her back to the bar, avoiding any chance of catching Clarke’s eye. “That’s Clarke Griffin.” 

The hand Raven was using to raise her beer glasses back to her lips stopped moving abruptly. “I’m sorry but _what_? You’re telling me that woman is Clarke Griffin? _The_ Clarke Griffin? The Clarke Griffin whose radio station you insist on playing every Sunday?” 

Lexa bristled. “I don’t play it every Sunday.”

“Really not the point here, Lexa. You complained for a week when you weren’t able to get tickets to her show this weekend.” 

“Fine. Yes, that’s the one.” For maybe the first time ever, Lexa had an hour left in her shift and she was begging someone to walk through the door if only to avoid whatever Raven was about to say.

“Are you too hopelessly gay to handle this yourself? Do you need backup? I can take over if you need to go stand in the walk-in and cool off.” Raven’s grin was borderline wolfish. 

“No, no, and no. I think she just wants to be left alone and enjoy her night without people treating her like a celebrity.” 

Before Lexa could respond, Anya put Clarke’s sandwich in the window. If Lexa thought that was going to be the end of her conversation with Raven, well, she never should have been so naïve to think so. 

Raven laughed when she saw the food order. “So your idea of not treating her like a celebrity is to let her order an off-menu dinner item.”

Lexa sighed and took the sandwich. “Raven, we add bacon and get a different option for dipping our chips. This is not exactly ‘off-menu’ and besides, she told me to pick her something for dinner.” 

Raven stared at her. “Oh my god. You’re useless, you know that?” 

“Look, she kind of made it a challenge and you know how I am so I need to take this to her and see if I’m right again.” 

“Did you just say _again_? Oh my god.”

Lexa rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Raven.” 

As she walked back toward the bar and back toward Clarke whose brow was creased as she looked at something on her phone, Lexa heard Raven call into the kitchen, “Hey Anya, guess what your sister did!” 

Lexa made a mental note to turn her phone off when she went home, lest Anya decide to call and repeat everything Raven was likely to say anyway. 

Clarke quickly put her phone away as Lexa approached. “Dinner’s ready for you, Seat Thirteen.” 

“That wasn’t even ten minutes.” 

“Step one in making sure you would like this was making sure I could get it to you as soon as possible.” 

“And step two?” 

Lexa sat the sandwich down in front of her. “Step two is you tasting it.” 

“What is it I’m tasting?”

“Veggie sandwich. With bacon. And I say this as a burger with a side of fries kind of person, but this sandwich is one of the best sandwiches you will eat in your life. And I got you chips with a side of beer cheese for you to dip in.” 

“Is there a step three?” 

“Step three is you letting me know that I am very good at knowing what you will like.” 

Fuck. 

That was really not what Lexa meant to say. 

Clarke’s surprised lift of her brow did not mask the way her vibrant eyes were undeniably darker than they had been a second prior. 

Lexa clenched her jaw, barely working it loose enough to say, “I, um, yeah. So let me know what you think.”

Thankfully, Lexa noticed the other guys in the bar were due for another round. Any other night she would have tried to avoid them like the plague but she was grateful for the opportunity to do anything that gave her a chance to not think about what she had just said to Clarke. 

At least for a few minutes. Because she was obviously going to have to go back. Because she obviously needed to know if Clarke liked her food. 

Lexa managed to busy herself just long enough for Clarke to finish the first half of her sandwich. 

“So?” Lexa asked, leaning on the bar once more. 

“So I’m beginning to think you might be more than a lucky guesser.” 

Before Lexa could respond, Raven yelled down the bar. “Hey Lexa!”

Lexa muttered a quiet “What the fuck.” 

She apparently was not that quiet, since Clarke huffed a laugh before turning her attention back to her dinner. 

Lexa made her way toward the kitchen, torn between wanting to flay Raven alive or thank her from pulling her away from Clarke before she managed to say something that would ruin whatever tension was building between them. 

“So, Lexa, Anya here will give me fifty dollars to put Clarke’s latest album on the speakers. What is your counter offer to prevent me from doing that?” 

Lexa’s glare came back in full force. “You will not.” 

Anya was the one to step in before Raven said anything else. “That’s not actually what we were talking about but I do appreciate knowing that whatever is going on out there has riled you up this much. But no, I’m trying out a new sauce for an idea I’m working on for the best BLT in this country. Raven ate her half, so go eat yours.” 

“You sure? I have less than an hour in my shift, I can wait.” 

Raven sighed. “Or you can take this opportunity we have so graciously given you to go fill up Blondie’s glass, get yourself a beer too, and sit with your music crush for a few minutes.” 

“Oh.” 

“Useless.” Raven shoved the food toward her. 

Lexa was not prone to getting nervous. It was a perfectly normal thing for an employee to eat at the bar when it was so slow. Perfectly normal to sit and have a beer. However, it was not perfectly normal for Lexa to maybe sit at the bar and have a drink with someone who, yeah, she would admit to being her music crush. Which had pretty much become a real crush after two minutes of actually talking to Clarke. Which also meant Lexa was now actually nervous. 

Coming from the floor side of the bar, Lexa asked, “Mind if I sit here?”

Clarke’s expression as she turned over her shoulder was completely different than what Lexa had seen when she was behind the bar. Clarke tensed up immediately, her expression guarded and eyes borderline fearful. The change reversed the moment she realized it was Lexa asking to sit next to her. 

“Sorry, I didn’t realize it was you.” Clarke said sheepishly. “Please, have a seat.” 

Lexa’s brow creased as she sat her food beside Clarke. “Hey, you okay?” 

“Yeah, I”—Clarke gave a hollow laugh—“I was just really enjoying sitting here by myself and was afraid someone figured out, um, I mean I was afraid someone wanted to ask me something.” 

Lexa, still standing, said softly, “I can certainly let you sit here by yourself.” 

“No!” Clarke said in a rush, her hand flying out to rest on Lexa’s forearm. “No, I don’t mean you. I’ve… I’ve actually really enjoyed your company tonight. Please sit, Lexa. It’s Lexa, right? I might’ve heard your friend yelling at you.” 

“It is.” Lexa smiled, because it was the only thing she could do with Clarke looking at her like that. “So give me a second to grab myself a beer and join you.” 

Lexa poured her beer quickly. There was a chance Raven made a comment as she walked behind Lexa at the taps but Lexa was determined not to hear whatever was said. It was not common for her to flirt with customers, or anyone really given how busy she was, and the fact that the person she was currently flirting happened to be very famous and very interested in not acting like a celebrity was going to give Raven enough teasing material for years. 

As Lexa sat down, Clarke asked, “So how did I manage to earn some company for dinner?” 

Nodding to the half a sandwich in front of her, Lexa said, “The kitchen is trying out a new BLT and I have been asked for my opinion.” 

“Is it as good as this veggie sandwich?” 

Taking a bite, Lexa made a show of thinking it over. “I’m afraid I’ll have to tell the chef she has more work to do.” 

“Hmm, I hope the chef is okay with that.”

“She’s my sister, so I hope so too.” 

“Family business, then?” 

Lexa reached for a beer. “You could say so. It’s a bit of a complicated family, but Anya went through the foster care with me since I was five, and our foster mom, Indra, is the brewer here.” 

Lexa was so used to explain the history of Trikru Brewing that she knew if she said the more her personal connection to the business, she was often able to tell a lot about a person by how they reacted. 

If she could rank all the responses she’d received, Clarke’s would easily be at the top. 

Clarke, who had very quickly stopped being Clarke Fucking Griffin in Lexa’s mind and very simply ‘Clarke’. Clarke, the nice woman sitting at seat thirteen who happened to be very fun to talk to and very, very attractive. 

“So you really lucked out with all of that. Brewer, back of house, and front of house all in one family.” Clarke said.

“I’m the only one who doesn’t work here full-time. I just pick up a shift every now and then to help out.”

“So if this isn’t your full-time job, what do you do?” Clarke asked before taking a sip of her beer. 

“Law school, actually.” Lexa felt herself tense, expecting the same rush of questions she usually got when she told customers, no matter who they were, what she did in addition to bartending. 

Clarke stared at her for a second before saying, “Hmm. That sucks.” 

Lexa blinked, processing what she’d just heard. 

Before she could say anything, Clarke continued with a slight blush evident in her cheeks. “Oh, no. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I just mean I have known a few people who have gone to law school and they seem to fucking hate it. Or at the very least, hate the people they’re there with.” 

Lexa nodded, just enough to show that she’d heard Clarke. “I also hate it.” 

Lexa wasn’t sure why the words had slipped out. She loved the idea of law school, had spent most of her life preparing for it, but the could not deny just how much she _hated_ the fact that from the first day of class, she could sense the amount of influence wealth had, how corrupt everything was, and just how completely unfair the system was while the majority of those around her insisted everything was simply a matter of justice. 

Mercifully, Clarke didn’t say anything, waiting for Lexa to continue. 

“I hate it, but I got into it so that maybe the next class, or at least the class twenty years from now knows there’s someone out there trying to make things better. I want to bring the people together. And I think that will take some serious restructuring, but I’m willing to do the work.” Lexa sat straighter as she finished speaking but she could feel the heat in her own cheeks. 

She wasn’t used to telling people what she had planned. She sure as hell wasn’t used to telling a customer, let alone Clarke Griffin whose music had gotten her through many a late night of studying. 

Lexa finished the last of her drink, keenly aware of how Clarke was looking at her. 

Clarke’s beer was barely half gone but Lexa found herself asking, “Can I get you another round, Seat Thirteen? On me this time.” 

“Willing to buy me a beer?” 

“It’s the least I can do for letting me intrude on your dinner.” 

“Ah but if you buy me a drink, then I’ll feel the need to buy you one I don’t think that’s how things work around here, especially not when you’re family.” 

Their eyes locked. 

The ever-present tension built. 

And then Lexa asked, “What if you could buy me a drink somewhere else tonight?” 

Clarke smiled. “Then I suppose I would let you buy me one.” 

“My shift ends soon, just enough time for you to enjoy another beer here. Would you like the same thing?

“Unless you have something else you think I’ll like more?” 

“More than that? Not a chance. You clearly have great taste.” 

“Because I happen to like your favorites?” 

“Obviously.” 

Clarke drained the last of the beer and handed the glass to Lexa. “Then yes, I will have another of your favorite and you will have successfully trapped me here with free beer.” 

“Gives me some extra time to win you over.” 

“I’m not sure the extra time is necessary.” 

Lexa hoped her blush wasn’t quite as noticeable as it felt as she turned to walk down the length of the bar. 

__________

Lexa had never clocked out so fast in her whole life. She cared about the brewery, cared about making sure things were where they should be at the end of the night, even if she wasn’t scheduled to close. For any other shift, she would have sat on the other side of the bar, sipping a beer and waiting the additional hour before the bar officially closed and she helped Raven with the last of the chores for the night. Then they would share another beer with Anya before all returning home and doing the same thing the next time they worked together. 

With Clarke waiting for her, Lexa was far more interested in not being anywhere near Anya and Raven. As soon as Lexa had told them about the drink Clarke promised to buy her, Anya and Raven had made it very clear that it would be a long, long time before they stopped making a huge deal about the fact that Lexa was about to go out with Clarke Griffin. 

But, in all fairness, it felt like a huge deal to go out with Clarke Griffin. 

Not just because of who she was. 

Because of the way their eyes caught on each other’s every few minutes as Lexa worked. Because of how Clarke smiled in response to Lexa’s gentle teasing. Because of how, despite the fact that Lexa was talking to _the_ Clarke Griffin, she felt like she’d just been lucky enough to meet a woman at the bar who hadn’t technically told her her name yet but who lit some fire deep within her. 

It felt like a huge deal because as she stood outside of the brewery with Clarke asking her where they were headed next, some part of Lexa knew it absolutely was. 

“Well, Seat Thirteen, I imagine you don’t have a car so do you trust me enough to let me drive you somewhere?” 

Grinning, Clarke said, “I imagine you’re not secretly a murderer so sure.” 

“My neighborhood is close, ten minutes or so, and there’s a place I often stop in for a drink after work. It’s definitely more on the dive bar side of the scale but, um,”—Lexa’s keys dug into her palm—“it will be quiet and no one will bother you. Us. No one will bother us.” 

Clarke’s gaze softened. “I know you know who I am.” 

Lexa stared, nothing the way Clarke couldn’t quite manage to look her straight in the eye for the first time that night. 

She asked, “Do you want me to?” 

A breath. Two. 

“I think I want to see this bar of yours.” 

__________

“This feels like a completely different city.” Clarke said, looking out over the dark river and up the steep slope on the opposite bank that sat right under the glowing downtown of Polis’ center. 

Lexa locked her car and stood on the bank with Clarke, her hands shoved in the pockets of her jacket. “It’s a working town. Down here under the bridges and by the water is where you can really tell. You can get a sense for it up there, but it’s down here where I love the city the most.” 

“Let me buy you that drink and you can tell me about it.” Clarke said, winding her arm through Lexa’s. 

Grounders was less busy than usual which meant there were a grand total of four people sitting at the bar when Lexa and Clarke walked in. 

Lexa nodded to the other regulars she recognized, each of them turning back to their own drinks after a friendly wave. 

“So now that you are no longer forced to drink beer, what can I get you?” Lexa asked. 

Clarke shook her head. “The question is what can I get you? I owe you a drink, after all.” 

Before Lexa could answer, a grinning Octavia stepped to them, wiping her hands on her bar towel and grinning at Lexa like she knew exactly what she was witnessing. 

Lexa promised herself she would worry about whatever Raven texted Octavia tomorrow. 

“Whose your friend, Lexa?” Octavia asked, her grin only growing. 

Lexa nodded from Clarke to the bartender. “This is Octavia. Octavia, this is a friend of mine here for the weekend.” 

Octavia arched a brow, a knowing look on her face. Before she could say anything, Lexa continued. “The big guy walking around is Lincoln.” 

“Nice to meet you.” Clarke said with a squeeze of Lexa’s arm. 

Lexa knew it was a thank you. 

From Octavia’s look, Lexa knew she could add one more person to her list of people who were never going to let her live this down. “The usual for you, Lexa?” 

“Please.” 

“Make that two.” Clarke added. 

Lexa laughed as soon as Octavia walked away. “You sure about that?” 

“Too late now, I guess. But I’ve been impressed with your tastes so far.” 

“Let’s say I’ll be impressed if that holds true now.” 

“That sounds an awful lot like a challenge.” 

Lexa shrugged, not entirely able to stop the smile that tugged at her lips. 

When the two shots and two beers were placed in front of her and Clarke, she couldn’t help but wait for Clarke’s reaction. 

“A shot of whiskey and a PBR?” Clarke asked with a hint of her musical laugh. "This is your favorite post-work drink?" 

“Cheers?” Lexa said, holding up her shot glass. 

Clarke touched her glass to Lexa’s and Lexa would be lying if she said she wasn’t a bit impressed by how easily Clarke threw back her drink. 

Grabbing their beers after quick confirmation to Octavia that no, this would not be their only round, they found a table in the corner, far away from Octavia’s smirk that was prominent enough that Lexa started wondering if she should have taken Clarke somewhere devoid of people she knew. 

“I have to admit I don’t like this beer quite as much as the other.”

“I have to admit I would be more worried about you if you thought they tasted the same.” 

Clarke laughed. 

Most of the way through their beers, Clarke apologized for having to answer a quick message on her phone. “I, sorry, I have to reassure a few people that I’m okay.”

“I can’t blame them for wondering if you’ve ventured off into the night with a stranger in a strange city.” 

“I’m on the verge of not considering you a stranger, Lexa.” 

Lexa smiled. 

Into their second beer which Clarke insisted on paying for when she realized they hadn’t even been charged for the first round, Lexa realized Clarke was leaning closer, her hands mere inches away from Lexa’s fingertips. The conversation flowed so easy, too easy for Lexa to think of anything other than how much she was enjoying her night with the woman across the table. 

“So tell me,” Lexa began “what makes you do what you do? If you don’t mind answering, of course.” 

Clarke sipped her beer, her gaze remaining unguarded as she stared over the bottle and straight at Lexa. 

Clarke said after an added pause, “You know, I don’t think I mind at all. I never expected to make it to this level of, well, whatever you want to call it. I’ve always loved creating and who doesn’t dream of some sort of success but I never expected to make it this far. I guess I never expected so many people to care.” 

“I can’t blame them.” 

“So you care about my music, huh?” Clarke asked with a hint of teasing in her tone. 

“I will admit to knowing more than a few of your lyrics.” 

Picking at the label on her beer bottle, Clarke asked, “That all?”

“No, I will also admit I think I now care about more than just the music.” 

Lexa knew she was not imagining Clarke’s blush. 

__________

The riverbank at night was one of Lexa’s favorite spots. Grounders Bar was only a block away from her apartment and on many nights after she’d gotten off work and after she’d had her post-shift-beer-shift-beer, she would walk along its edge before finally turning back home. 

Watching Clarke stare up at the bridges overhead made her love the riverbank even more. 

“This is incredible.” Clarke said with awe evident in her smile. 

Lexa smiled with her. “I have to drive to the other side of the city for my classes but I couldn’t bring myself to live anywhere other than this neighborhood.” 

“I can’t say I blame you.“

Clarke stopped suddenly, pulling Lexa to a stop alongside her as they stared at the glittering reflection of Polis in the water. 

“Thank you.” She said. 

Lexa nodded slightly, unsure of what to say. Instead, she found Clarke’s hand with her own, slowly entwining their fingers together. 

Eventually, Lexa said, “I’m glad you let me buy you a drink, Seat Thirteen.” 

Clarke laughed lightly before nudging her shoulder into Lexa’s. “I know I technically already bought you a drink in return and all that and I don’t know if you’ve heard about this or not but… there’s a pretty big concert in town this weekend. You might even have tickets.” 

“I don’t, actually.” Lexa said quickly with a laugh of her own. “I don’t know if you heard or not but they sold out kinda fast.” 

“Would you like to go?”

“I hear the artist is pretty great, should be a show worth going to.” 

“Think it would be good enough for you to want VIP backstage passes?” 

Lexa turned to look at Clarke. “I think the company backstage would be worth it.” 

“Then here”—Clarke pulled her phone from her pocket, swiping away the many notifications Lexa could see on screen—“give me your number?” 

Taking the phone, Lexa begged herself not to drop it. She entered her number, checked it again, and handed the phone back to Clarke. 

“Do I dare hope you’ll text me about more than the show?” Lexa asked. 

“Do I dare hope you want me to?” 

Lexa said, “I’m scared to hope for anything more. Tonight has already been amazing.” 

It scared her more how true those words were. 

“I was hoping for one more thing.” Clarke said, stepping closer. 

The look in Clarke’s eye told her everything she needed to know about what Clarke hoped for. So Lexa gave in. She closed the distance between them, pressing her full lips against Clarke’s. She relished in Clarke’s breathy sigh as Lexa ran her thumb along Clarke’s jaw, deepening the kiss. Her own hum of pleasure pulled Clarke in closer, called their bodies together. 

Clarke chased Lexa’s lips as Lexa pulled away, needing to know the kiss was just as good for Clarke as it was for her. 

Clarke’s dark eyes and shallow breaths gave her her answer. “It seems you really are good at knowing what I like.”

With her hands finding purchase on Clarke’s waist, Lexa said, “I usually don’t get a kiss like that on the first date.” 

“First date, huh?” 

“Do you want it to be?” 

Clarke wrapped her arms around Lexa’s neck as she asked, “If I say yes?” 

“Then I will ask when I can see you again.” 

Clarke pressed closer. “First, I want you to say my name.” 

Lexa whispered the name against kiss-swollen lips before they lost themselves in each other once more. “Clarke.”

**Author's Note:**

> I miss bartending.
> 
> Also, I have used the premise of this story as a bit of a writing exercise. So if you're interested,  
> [I also wrote a Supercorp version](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25718584).


End file.
